HERE and Mitsubishi Motors help drivers steer clear of traffic and distractions

Finland – HERE, a
Nokia business, announced today that Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. has launched HERE Traffic including real-time information on traffic and weather, and is the first to offer updates on fuel prices delivered by HD Radio(TM) technology* for drivers in the U.S.

The service goes beyond the usual highway network, providing information on four times more roads than comparable products. By using HD technology, updates on real-time conditions delivered to the driver are ten times faster than the standard speed available in the market. Connected services from HERE provide a smarter, safer and more enjoyable driving experience every day through always up to date, real-time data, whether the driver is looking to avoid traffic jams and unsafe driving conditions due to weather or just looking for a gas station offering the best fuel prices.

The new offering will be available for the following Mitsubishi 2014 models: Lancer, Lancer Evolution, Lancer Sportback, Outlander, and Outlander Sport.

HERE Traffic can leverage a larger amount of rich location content, such as access to 100,000 gas stations in the U.S., than any other broadcast service on the market today by using HD technology, which has the bandwidth to transmit more data at a faster speed for Mitsubishi drivers. More than 330,000 miles of local roads now have real-time traffic information, and fresh weather updates are received every 30 seconds. All of this information is available through Mitsubishi Motors’ infotainment system and can be easily accessed by using the controls in the steering wheel or on the viewing touchscreen.

“We were the first company to support the launch of in-car navigation in Mitsubishi’s vehicles back in the late 1990s, and now we’re offering real-time traffic, weather updates and fuel prices in HD in North America. Mitsubishi car drivers are again among the first to take advantage of the latest technology development,” said Ogi Redzic, Vice President for Connected Driving at HERE. “Our expansion to HD emphasizes our deep commitment to improve the driver experience.”

“Our commitment to bring the most innovative technologies to our drivers continues to move forward at an aggressive pace, and offering real-time traffic, weather and fuel prices by HD from HERE is another natural next step,” said Bryan Arnett, Senior Manager of Product Planning, Mitsubishi Motors North America. “Mitsubishi owners will now experience a more enjoyable drive that will let them feel safer while driving on the road.”

“The success of connected car systems will derive directly from their ability to deliver a consumer proposition with timely and daily relevance,” said Roger C. Lanctot, associate director in the global automotive practice of Strategy Analytics. “Traffic and weather top the list of desired consumer content, and delivering more of that data faster via HD Radio connections is a market-changing offer.”

* HD Radio(TM) technology is a broadcast solution for real-time information. It includes a digital encoder which offers a higher bandwidth when compared to the standard RDS analog systems. This enables more than four times the amount of content to be transmitted. HD is able to increase the speed of distribution by ten times over RDS, which translates to 30 second incremental updates – faster than any other broadcast format available in the market today.